September 16, 2008
ABC Radio Australia
The United States is to make its first donation to Cambodia's UN-backed Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal.
Prime Minister Hun Sen says the US deputy secretary of state John Negroponte informed him of the donation when they met on Monday.
The pair have been discussing ways of improving relations between their countries.
Hun Sen says the donation will be officially declared today.
The cash-strapped Khmer Rouge court is expected to begin trials in October.
Five top Khmer Rouge leaders are facing charges before the tribunal for crimes committed by the regime.
The US embassy says the United States will also provide $US24 million to fund economic growth projects in Cambodia.
The US recently lifted a decade-old ban on direct funding to Cambodia's government and re-established military ties between the countries, with the promise oflimited military aid.
Since then, at least three senior US military commanders have visited Cambodia.
Mr Negroponte's visit, which comes amid rising concern over China's influence in the region, reverses Washington's restrictive funding policies put in place after Hun Sen seized total control of the government in a 1997 coup.
Hun Sen says that bilateral relations had improved markedly.
"I can say that we never have enjoyed such good relations as we have now and at the same time we have looked into other things that we are able to improve," he said.
Washington has been one of the Cambodian government's most vocal critics in a number of areas, including corruption and human rights abuses.
But the US has praised Cambodia for its anti-terrorism efforts following the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.
Prime Minister Hun Sen says the US deputy secretary of state John Negroponte informed him of the donation when they met on Monday.
The pair have been discussing ways of improving relations between their countries.
Hun Sen says the donation will be officially declared today.
The cash-strapped Khmer Rouge court is expected to begin trials in October.
Five top Khmer Rouge leaders are facing charges before the tribunal for crimes committed by the regime.
The US embassy says the United States will also provide $US24 million to fund economic growth projects in Cambodia.
The US recently lifted a decade-old ban on direct funding to Cambodia's government and re-established military ties between the countries, with the promise oflimited military aid.
Since then, at least three senior US military commanders have visited Cambodia.
Mr Negroponte's visit, which comes amid rising concern over China's influence in the region, reverses Washington's restrictive funding policies put in place after Hun Sen seized total control of the government in a 1997 coup.
Hun Sen says that bilateral relations had improved markedly.
"I can say that we never have enjoyed such good relations as we have now and at the same time we have looked into other things that we are able to improve," he said.
Washington has been one of the Cambodian government's most vocal critics in a number of areas, including corruption and human rights abuses.
But the US has praised Cambodia for its anti-terrorism efforts following the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.
8 comments:
What do you expect from the good USofA? I KNOW......OIL! OIL! OIL!
hey, don't hate! god bless cambodia; cambodia is god's children!
can't wait forever! perhaps, my beloved USA can't see anything wrong with the election; glitches during any election anywhere in the world are so trivial. plus, sometimes, people are sick and tired of the "guy who cries wolf all the time". only god know and see the truth. god bless cambodia and our beautiful khmer people and citizens.
8:09,
That's right baby! After all these year, why now? The Navy vessels from US/Austrilia all of a sudden make a visit? The FBI recently open their field office on Phnom Penh? Hmmm! You do the math!
11:51 You got it!
All my dear Khmer compatriots. Last week, the US sent their aircraft carriers to Cambodia's offsore. This week, they sent under secretary of state to show their commitment to US-Cambodia growing relation.
What did these development mean?
Yes, all in all behind the curtain discussion is about OIL...!
The US aircraft carrier's presence in Cambodia offsore meant neither to topple Hun Sen nor to invade China or deport Khmer overseas. They are here coz they are preparing to protect their oil, which Chevron has invested millions dollars and espect to havest in 2011.
Of course, Hun Sen's govt. has benifited from this relationship and Cambodia is also able to receive military aid from the US, particularly military training as they have done some so far.
The aircraft carrier's presence could somehow make China unhappy as US come closer to their door and the Vietnamese too.
Country boy
Business corporations rule the world and if American business is in Cambodia, you bet your life! and the chinese or whatever just have to get tought. American deserve to have their right to do business in peace anywhere in the world. Sure they don't want some kind of surprises showing up in their faces while working on refining or drilling for oil or whatever business they are doing and who is going to protect them or their people while they doing that? the chinese?!!! or the arab??? this is where people were mistaken in the first place. The Arab want to do their business with the American and,yet they are tell the American to go off their land! it makes zero sense. American business corporations are traveling with their bodygards and those ships and those aircrafts are thier bodyguard. Anyone has a problem with it stop doing their business with the American and will see how they will survive alone. The stupid arab on the other side is sucking out millions and millions of $$$$ out of the businesses both in oil and all those businesses of credit cards in America and again they don't want the American near them. Got some news for those stupid arab mf. THEY ARE OUT OF THEIR GOD DAMM MIND!!!! That is what they are for starting all the war and acting as terrorist until today. Tt's only the right thing to do is to work together peacefully. There are chineses all over the places. Why not the American too??? If our governemnt is smart, our government should work with the American and give peace a chance and don't forget that there are our money to make as well. Please make sure that everyone gets their pieces of pie.
and how in the hell can the American do business with Cambodia or anyone around the region? if the motherF*cker thai don't stop their nagging about those land that don't belong to them and everything else just becuase they want to do politic in their country???!!!! Please anyone please go and tell those mf thai to just stop! and get lost!
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